


Growls and Giggles: Christmas at Storm's End

by Eilit



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 19:53:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13130937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilit/pseuds/Eilit
Summary: Stannis and Sansa hold their annual Christmas open house at Storm's End. Part of the 'Growls and Giggles' timeline.





	Growls and Giggles: Christmas at Storm's End

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the Growls and Giggles timeline. It's not necessary to read that story first, but it will make a little more sense if you do.

Storm’s End glowed with lights, buzzed with voices, echoed with the laughter of children and adults alike. The annual Christmas open house was shaping up to be their busiest one yet.

As Lomas Estermont wove his way through the crowded foyer, the hum of voices coming from the music hall grew louder, then suddenly hushed as the first notes of “The Carol of the Bells” started playing from Sansa’s grand piano. Soon the voices of a choir joined in, filling the entire wing with music.

Lomas couldn’t contain his smile when he entered Storm’s End’s music hall. The large room took up the entire main floor of the east wing, and was filled to the brim with visitors who had come to enjoy the Baratheon’s open house. It glowed with white Christmas lights, was festooned with red ribbons, and draped with live greenery. At the far end of the hall, directly opposite the piano, stood a massive live Christmas tree, easily twenty feet tall. The rest of the home had been similarly decorated - Sansa had spared no expense in bringing holiday cheer to the estate. And Stannis had only put up a token protest at the cost - the benefits garnered in networking, goodwill, and community building far outweighed the monetary expense of holding the open house, and he knew it.

Lomas spotted a figure standing head and shoulders above the crowd, and maneuvered his way over to a snack table set up along the opposite wall. At first he thought that Robert had grown some sort of odd appendage, but soon realized that his oldest nephew was busy keeping Cassie from leaping out of his arms while her mother played piano. Renly and Loras stood nearby, laughing quietly at Cassie’s antics.

Little Cassana had taken a shine to Robert from almost the day she was born. The two shared a particular fondness for filled cookies and pastries, one that had earned them both a number of rebukes from Stannis. Stymied by her inability to escape his beefy arms, the toddler focused instead on undoing Robert’s bow tie.

“Well, Robert, how did you manage to escape the nursery? Did Cassie promise to keep an eye on you?”

Loras and Renly sniggered quietly as Robert’s bow tie fluttered to the floor, but Robert didn’t even notice.

“Ha! Says you! Cassie here wanted to see what all the fuss was about before she went to bed. How could I say no?”

Cassie tugged on Robert’s beard and pointed towards the table. “Unca Bot! Cookie?”

“For who, Cassie? You or me? Ah, who cares! We’ll both get one!” Robert winked at Cassie and whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell your father, he’ll never know!”

Robert and Cassie slipped between some guests to investigate the treats. Renly laughed.

“Uncle Lomas, you know Stannis is going to have a cow when he finds out how many sweets Robert has given to Cassie today.”

“I know it. You know it. Robert knows it. I suspect that’s why he does it - just to get Stannis’ goat.” Lomas scanned the crowd. The choir and piano were reaching a crescendo, signalling that the song was nearly at an end.

“Where is Stannis, anyway?”

Renly nodded towards the piano. “With Sansa. Did you honestly think he’d be anywhere else?”

Indeed, Stannis stood tall and still in his tuxedo on the far side of the piano, not smiling, yet clearly proud of his wife. When Sansa and the choir finished he helped her to her feet, one arm protectively wrapped around her waist, his large hand not-so-subtly splayed across her lower belly.

Stannis held Sansa’s hand while the crowd clapped. Once they finished their applause he and she both welcomed them to Storm’s End with a short speech, then started mingling with the visitors, still holding hands.

Renly sidled up to Lomas again. “What is it about Sansa, Christmas, and babies? Wasn’t she pregnant with Cassie two years ago at Christmas?”

Lomas nodded. “She was indeed, near to bursting if I recall.”

A gleam appeared in Renly’s eye. “And that very first open house, too, four years ago. She was carrying Steffon then. Do you remember that night, Uncle?”

“Of course I do, Boy, I was here too.” Lomas fixed Renly with a glare, then chuckled. “Sansa was so excited - that girl worked for weeks and weeks planning down every last detail. In the end it worked out perfectly.”

“Almost. But then you got Stannis drunk.”

Lomas replied, “That was not my fault. He was so stiff and nervous, I simply gave him a double shot of whisky before the guests started arriving. Well, maybe two doubles. I knew it’d loosen him up. And it did.”

“That’s one way to put it. He was so loose he might as well have been made of rubber bands. But you’re right, it worked.”

 

Indeed, Lomas recalled that first evening very well. Stannis had been pacing for hours throughout the day, short tempered, alternately barking at the staff or sulking silently in his study. Even Sansa’s joy and excitement had been diminished in her worry for him.

“Uncle, can you talk to Stannis? I don’t know what’s wrong with him - he agreed to let me hold this open house, but now he’s acting like it’s the end of the world. And the first visitors will be here in less than an hour. I really need him with me. He knows the people here. I don’t.”

Lomas had found Stannis pacing in his study, fiddling with the cufflinks for his dress shirt. He cursed as the heavy gold piece fell to the floor with a resounding thud.

“Sit down, Boy. You’re making me nervous.”

Stannis had taken a seat on the leather sofa as directed, but glared at his uncle. Sweat had already broken out on his head and started to pour down his neck. He silently accepted the half-full tumbler of whisky from Lomas and drained it in one long gulp.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Uncle. After last year…” Stannis had cast his gaze towards the floor, but Lomas knew exactly what was on his mind. His troubles with the law in King’s Landing, and the subsequent fallout.

“Son, that’s done and passed by. This is your home, your family, your people. It’ll be fine. I’m here, Sansa is here, shit, even your brothers made it down. You’re not alone.”

Stannis had nodded, and gratefully accepted the second stout glass of whisky that Lomas offered him. Then he had stood up, squared his shoulders, and put on his game face.

“Let’s do this.”

The first open house _had_ gone well. Stannis stuck like glue to Sansa’s side, allowing her to do most of the talking as they mingled with guests. But Lomas had kept a close eye on his nephew, noting that Stannis always seemed to have a glass of champagne or mulled wine in hand. As the night wore on, his stride grew looser, his shoulders relaxed, and he had actually started smiling and even laughing with some of the guests. Surely it couldn’t be this perfect.

 

Renly’s laugh brought Lomas back to the present.

“It did work, Uncle. But then that creepy councilor started hitting on Sansa. Things could have gotten ugly.”

“It damn near did. Your brother was out of the room when it happened. Brazen bastard, the councilor stood right next to Sansa and started chatting her up like she was some floozy in a bar. I couldn’t hear what he said but I knew she wasn’t happy. And then, then he had the nerve to put his hand on her belly. That’s when I heard Stannis growl, right behind me. For half an instant I thought Jon’s pet wolf had gotten in the house. Good thing Robert got there first, and maneuvered the councilor out of the room before Stannis got to him. Otherwise Stannis would be in jail.”

“My brother is a tad bit possessive. But Sansa doesn’t seem to mind.” Renly snickered. He’d been hitting the rum and eggnog pretty hard. “Do you remember what happened in the Butler’s Pantry?”

“Who can forget the crashing of all that fine china? As for that councilor, he learned a valuable lesson.”

“So did everyone else in Storm’s End, Uncle Lomas, because that odious man couldn’t keep his mouth shut afterwards. It’s a good thing you got there when you did. Do you think Sansa knew?”

“Hell no, she didn’t know. She still doesn’t.” Lomas wagged a stern finger in front of Renly’s nose. “And you won’t tell her. Ever.”

 

Robert, Lomas had later learned, had taken the councilor to a side room and plied that man with more booze. When Robert had shown up in the main hall later, alone, Stannis had waylaid him with a few stern words. Robert laughed and gestured towards the back hall, and Stannis had returned to Sansa. But moments later Lomas couldn’t find them. And that was when he heard the crashing sound of shattering dishes.

By some miracle Lomas and Renly had made it the back hall before anyone else, and shut the door behind them before any other onlookers could approach. It was deserted except for the staggering would-be lothario of a councilor, currently standing across from the doorway to the Butler’s Pantry, mouth agape. The sounds of crunching glass, giggling, and oddly enough, growls, came from within.

Lomas would never forget the scene set before his eyes. Clean and dirty dishes alike were shattered all across the floor, creating a treacherous mixture of glass shards, broken china, and slick piles of leftover meals. But that alone was not the surprise.

Stannis had bent Sansa over the low pastry table, hiked the skirts of her blue velvet holiday gown up around her hips and was getting busy making love to his wife right there in the pantry. He growled as he nibbled upon her ear and porcelain neck. And the councilor had stood in the hall, locked in place with a look somewhere between awe and fear etched upon his face.

Renly rescued the councilor and guided him down another hallway, admonishing the stunned man to keep his mouth shut on the matter.

In the pantry Stannis never ceased his rhythm, even as he fixed his uncle with a hard glare. Then, surprisingly, he grinned, mischievous and boylike, and mouthed “Shut the door” before turning his attention back to his wife.

Lomas had closed the door in silence, as Sansa had kept her head turned the other way and was unaware that their activities had garnered witnesses. He had returned to the party, shaking his head in amusement. Stannis had certainly ‘loosened up’ over the course of the evening.

 

“Uncle Lommy!” Young Steffon’s exuberant greeting brought Lomas out of his reverie. His great-nephew was currently perched in his father’s arms. Both older and younger Baratheons were dressed in identical tuxedos. Loras was right - Steffon really was a mini-Stannis.

“Did you see Mommy play piano? She made everybody clap!” The young boy turned in his father’s arms, even while Stannis tried to keep him still.

“I did see your mother perform. Where is she now? I’d like to tell her how well she played.”

Stannis and his son both turned to search for Sansa, but Steffon spotted her first.

“There she is, Papa! She’s talking to Mr. Phil from school.”

The boy pointed towards a corner of the music hall, where Phil Mosby stood talking to Sansa. The young man looked confident and happy, smiling and gesturing animatedly while he and Sansa talked and laughed. Stannis’ upbeat expression quickly grew dark and thunderous, and his scowl became particularly pronounced. Lomas heard a low growl.

Without a word Stannis handed Steffon over to Renly and marched purposefully through the crowd towards Sansa and Phil. Lomas realized that the pretty young brunette standing next to the school’s handyman was his new girlfriend, but by the look on Stannis’ face all he could see was a young man paying far too much attention to his wife.

Renly spoke up. “Uh oh. That’s the same Phil we met at Carl’s pub a few months ago. Should we rescue him?”

Fortunately for Phil, the crowd had grown thick, and it took Stannis several moments to reach his wife. And by then, Robert had snagged the young handyman and steered him well away from Sansa and Stannis.

“No. Looks Robert intervened just in time. But I’m going to keep an eye on those two anyway.” Lomas addressed his young great-nephew. “How about it, Steffon? Do you think you can keep Renly and Loras out of trouble?”

“Uncle Loras never gets in trouble. But Renly does. Papa says so. So I better stay with both of them.”

“Ha!” Renly perched his nephew on his shoulders as they went in search of Loras. “Your papa, Steffon, often exaggerates. I am innocent of all wrongdoing, just ask your mother. Now where will we find your uncle Loras?”

The boy pointed towards the portico, decorated with thousands of plants, flowers, and greenery. “With his plants!”

With his younger nephews suitably engaged, Lomas sought out the older two. Robert re-entered the music hall from a back room, but Phil was not with him. And Stannis and Sansa had disappeared.

Lomas didn’t bother to talk to Robert, he just made his way towards the back hallways and the Butler’s Pantry. If he didn’t know any better he’d swear this was one big setup. And sure enough, as he walked down the suspiciously empty hallway the sounds of growls and laughter echoed from a familiar open doorway.

Just then Phil Mosby showed up at the other end of the hallway, looking flustered. Lomas hastened towards the open doorway, glanced in long enough to get a glimpse of red hair, and shut the door right as Phil approached him.

“Mr. Estermont, I’m sorry, I know this isn’t an open part of the house, but I got turned around and pointed in the wrong direction.”

As Phil spoke a few clanks, growls, and other shuffling noises carried through the thick door.

“What’s that? Is there an intruder? Do we need to call security?” The young man was reaching for his cellphone when a particularly loud growl came through the door.

Lomas wrapped his arm around Phil’s shoulders and steered him back towards the main hall and the crowds.

“Don’t worry about it Phil. Let’s just go enjoy the party, all right? And, you can introduce me to that pretty new girlfriend of yours.”

Phil brightened immediately. “Yes, of course! Her name is Rebecca, and she just moved back home too. She’s opening the new dental clinic here.” The young man smiled. “She’s really great.”

Another muffled crash and a growl echoed down the hallway from behind them. “Mr. Estermont, are you sure we should just leave that? I mean, it sounds pretty bad.”

Lomas patted Phil on the back as they re-entered the music hall.

“It’s fine, Phil. You don’t need to worry.” With a grin and a wink, he added, “It’s just raccoons.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas everybody! And also, please remember to check out all the stories in the Stannis x Sansa Christmas Collection! (http://archiveofourown.org/collections/StannisxSansa_Christmas_Collection)


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